esotericara's Profile

An oldie-but-goodie tip and adorable video! Keep 'em comin!

The biggest fight my fiance and I have ever had started at IKEA and l lasted HOURS afterward. I mean door-slamming, shouting obscenities across the parking lot, flurries of emails back and forth when he went to work the night shift. Within 24 hours we were laughing about it and learned the following things.

1.) "Interesting," no matter how sincerely intoned, is not an acceptable response to someone sharing their opinions about something. A little effort here goes a long way. Trust me.

2.) Decide what kind of trip it is. This is not to say that there can't be hybrids, but communicating whether you want to go to browse or to get a specific list of things is essential. Maybe say, "I have a list of these five things, but I'd like to test out some couches, too."

3.) Write stuff down or take pictures with your phone. If you like that lamp in the awesome fake living room, take a picture of the tag or use those golf pencils. Don't just assume you'll find it later. Or remember that you wanted to get it, even though it wasn't on your list. You'll remember, but only like a week later.

4.) Check for quantities on the website. DO IT.

I dice up half or a quarter of a Granny Smith and add it to my tuna salad. Since I hate celery and never use it, this makes a huge difference in the texture!

When I was a kid, we would sometimes bring our dogs inside for the night when the temperature dipped below 0 outside. I would get so excited and try to sit them all down in front of the TV and make them watch Lady and the Tramp, 101 Dalmations, All Dogs Go to Heaven...you name it. I think I even tried Aristocats. At least now I have SOME defense! And for the record, I would totally do this if I were leaving a dog inside for several hours. But you probably already figured that out.

I used a recipe like this one this past summer and it was amazing. I have a track record when it comes to screwing up baking, but this did the trick! I doubt I'll use any other kind of chocolate cake recipe again: if it works, stick with it.

I think I'm going to make two 6-item lists. The first will be things I can do without buying anything, like another reader said, such as re-hanging a wall lamp my cat pulled down. The second will be larger projects like convincing my fiance that our kitchen would look better without the cabinet doors!

I've finally come to the realization that many of the things I've kept are just reminding me of things I never did or a person I am not anymore. The heels that are too high for me to walk in (I never did strengthen my ankles to wear them), the stencils and paints (that was going to be a rockin' apron), the boxes and boxes of "office supplies" (I barely even use my desk now that I've graduated). I've learned that I'm not the kind of person who can let projects pile up. One at a time, girl. That's all you can handle. And you know what? That's okay. Get the other crap out of the way and pick a project!

So, wait...just because you're from the East Coast and know what a "real" bagel tastes like, you want to take away my Lender's? That's just mean! I don't know what a "real" bagel tastes like, and I don't plan to go to the east coast anytime soon. When I crave a bagel, that's what I want. Let me enjoy my Midwest fantasy.

Also...cupcakes are awesome as long as, as the article said, they are worth the money being charged for them. The Flying Cupcake in Indianapolis had a lemon cupcake that was like eating sunshine. That was worth the $, I can tell you.

What a great idea! It's always nice for someone else to try something out themselves rather than just say, "Hey guys, I saw this thing in a picture that looks really cool!" My only worry is for the wee bit of art in the upper left corner. Wouldn't the point of a "gallery" wall be to make the artwork easy to peruse? I worry that no one will be able to fully appreciate that small piece!

This post kind of hits home for me. When my fiance and I moved in together, I received so much pushback from my family that I didn't even want to think about a housewarming...not to mention the fact that I was in my last semester of grad school! Now I kind of wish we had, since that "just moved in together" phenomenon will never happen again.

That being said, I have a suggestion: gift cards to home improvement stores or garden centers! It may sound impersonal, but I spent most of my money after moving in on painting and organizing the apartment. I just can't STAND to live in a white box! Good places might be The Container Store, IKEA, Lowe's, Home Depot, Sherwin-Williams, Garden Ridge, or one of the local garden chain stores.